**disturbing! What I Found When Working For The Va Hospital.

[newbe]

Hello all~!

I thought someone might benefit from my story. I’m not sure where to begin, but I do feel that sharing this information with others is important.

It wasn’t long ago that I worked in the laboratory at the VA hospital. The hospital will remain nameless; however, I have an extensive science background in the cellular biological sciences. I was asked to perform review lab data directly for the directing Physician. In particular this information came to me when medical students who were taking notes on the floor had to have their work reviewed prior to being entered into the medical charts.

The VA is always backlogged as you all know so processing this stuff became mundane. I noticed after about the 50th doc, that almost every veteran had the same symptom and condition. I was worried but didn’t tell anyone what I thought I’d found, nor spoke to anyone but family until now. I thought nothing of it but coincidence. The next day I processed about forty five more docs and by the end of week found one hundred and ninety one cases of this problem. This is when I began to worry. But who and what would I do about it. Go tell all VETS in the hospital? No way!!!

Even though I’m aware of how to read medical docs, I truly wouldn’t have found this disorder, but was lucky enough to inquire about the sudden emergence of this problem during my last hospital visit a week earlier. The first Physician couldn’t even tell me what it was. The second knew but referred me back to my nurse who said they were lipomas. It’s a small to large fat sac that will suddenly appear out of no where on the trunk, forearms, thighs, ribs, legs and back.

I was told by the primary care nurse who visits many patients day in and out that this was nothing to worry about. I beg to differ; after seeing the medical notations my self I do believe this is related to either the Persian Gulf War or to Vacinaciations given to soldiers. According to clear medical documentation I’ve read in JAMA and on the net lipomas are a primary in older patients over the age of 65 with a history alcohol use and or parents with severe alcohol use. In some cases this may be hereditary, but they are rarely and I mean rarely found in anyone under the age of 65. A genetic predisposition to such ailment is rare and for me to find this many documented cased at a VA hospital in patients under 65yo remains a mystery still.

I bring this small issue to the table first, because there are so many other manifested side effects in VA patients. Side effects that are a constant in all VA medical records, I believe this and other small health things we take for granted or maybe ignore sometimes have been a common problem across state lines.

What’s bothers me about this is that it wouldn’t surprise me if the VA is banking on the fact that we never figure out that there are commonalities in abundance within medical records. I hope this helps. I had approximately 3 lipomas in 1996 and then a gradual increase with a period of spurious growth in 2000 to 35. I’ve had one removed because it became so large; another biopsied (neg for cancer) because they weren’t sure why so many showed up and rapidly.

I’m way under the age of 65 and way too young to see anything like this ruin my life. I hadn’t thought there was anything to this whole thing until I found my 36th lipoma in 2001 fully invading my testicle sac. The VA said it would go away, I have no children – so I’ve been praying and hope this sh%t goes away.

-Thanks

:P

[timetowinarace]

Ive searched quite a bit and limpomas are not uncommon. However, there does seem to be a trend that is not verified.

Limpomas affect females more often than males, yet quite a few GW males seems to be alarmed at having them.

Persons are more commonly affected by one limpoma, yet GW individuals seem to be commonly complaining of multiple limpomas.

Problem is that, these conditions are not uncommon in the general population. That a number of GW vets are concerned about their limpomas (including me) will have little impact on the medicall community untill it is shown statistically that GW vets have a higher rate of developing limpomas than the general population. A 1998 GAO report on GULF WAR VETERANS, Limitations of Available Data for Accurately Determining the Incidence of Tumors, there is no accurate way to determine the rate that tumors affect GWV, canceruos or not, at that time. I cannot find any other studies that look into this.

This would be a common, concrete and physical link to a true Gulf War Illness if it is verified. Something more than the "subjective, undiagnosed" conditions like fatigue. (hmmm, no accurate records on tumors?)

It has me curious enough to keep looking. This question has been raised on a number of GW Vet forums.

Time

[timetowinarace]

Okay, found some verification. There is a researched link between GWI and lipomas. But it's being ignored. Imagine that.

From DVA ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS

Federally Sponsored Research on

Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses for 2002

Among the 19 skin conditions, only

“miscellaneous benign conditions” (including lipomas) were

significantly more prevalent in disabled Gulf

War veterans than in healthy Gulf War veterans

(12.6% vs. 4.1%).

“miscellaneous benign conditions” were four

times more frequent in disabled Gulf War

veterans than in healthy Gulf War veterans. The

authors concluded: “Skin disease does not appear

to be contributing to ill health in Gulf War

veterans, with the exception of an unexplained

two-fold increase in seborrheic dermatitis.”

These numbers may be low since this was a small sample group but even so they are significant. With what newbie is saying about observations at the VA and good amount of concern among GW vets with these lipomas, I'd say this is a significant issue to address.

Time

[newbe]

timetowninarace

thanks for the new info. when i first enlisted i like many of my friends were 17-21 and very , very healthy. i like many of us do not have a family history of such physical illness. if i were to take a random sample of 100 people from the UW campus and test for lipoma incidnese , i don't think we'd find more than a couple of people with at least 2 lipoma.

take the same random sample at the VA hospital and i'm sure you'll find an abnormally high rate of incidence. i don't believe the Federal Government should issue a low priority and label such issues as non-compensatable due to lack of evidence.

the bottom line in all such cases of disability resulting from Federal Employment is simple and clear: if you rent and make use of something and do not return it back in it's original condition , fix it and pay for the damage you caused.

thanks for the update - nice to know that someone somewhere has also brought attention to this subject.

Okay, found some verification. There is a researched link between GWI and lipomas. But it's being ignored. Imagine that.

From DVA ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS

Federally Sponsored Research on

Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses for 2002

Among the 19 skin conditions, only

“miscellaneous benign conditions” (including lipomas) were

significantly more prevalent in disabled Gulf

War veterans than in healthy Gulf War veterans

(12.6% vs. 4.1%).

“miscellaneous benign conditions” were four

times more frequent in disabled Gulf War

veterans than in healthy Gulf War veterans. The

authors concluded: “Skin disease does not appear

to be contributing to ill health in Gulf War

veterans, with the exception of an unexplained

two-fold increase in seborrheic dermatitis.”

These numbers may be low since this was a small sample group but even so they are significant. With what newbie is saying about observations at the VA and good amount of concern among GW vets with these lipomas, I'd say this is a significant issue to address.

Time

:P

[newbe]

http://www.life.com/Life/essay/gulfwar/gulf09.html

Rockefeller chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee

CHECK OUT THIS LINK. GULF WAR SYN. EXACTLY AS I DESCRIBED, NEVER KNEW SO MANY CHILDREEN WERE BORN DEFORMED!

BUT AGAIN JUST AS I STATE THEY ALSO STATE,

"plans no action "until the hard science is in," says an aide."

Washington fighting for afflicted Gulf War families. One is Rockefeller, but in recent months he has lost clout. After last year's GOP landslide, he was ousted as chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee

:P